Glorfindel turned to his best friend since forever it seemed. His chocolate brown eyes were wide
and hopeful. Glorfindel, as seriously as any elfling could manage, said," Sure, you can tell me anything, ResRes."

The dark elfling punched him in the arm for calling him out of his name but shifted closer anyway.

"You know the swords tutor, Master M.?"

Glorfindel nodded. He and Erestor trained at the same place due to their close friendship and
Glorfindel begging his parents to pull a few strings. Master. M was sort of creepy but a good teacher.

"Well, he touched me, yesterday."

Glorfindel sat up straighter. Touched him? He remembered that Res had to stay after training
and wait for his Nana to get off work in the kitchens. Glorfindel had asked his parents to let him come to the house but they
had said it was bad enough he played with a servant‘s child. So Erestor stayed with Master M. until his Nana came.

"What do you mean he touched you?"

Erestor leaned closer," You promise not to tell?" Glorfindel nodded, long braid bouncing.

"Well, he took me in the back where the swords are and he-," Erestor stopped and looked down.

"He what?"

"He took "it" out."

"It"?

The slight elfling nodded," And he told me to touch it and I did.

The blue-eyed elfling made a face, "Yuck!"

"I didn't want to get in trouble…you know because your parents said I could only train
with you as long as I behaved, so I did, but then he told me to put it in my mouth and I said no, but then…he…made
me. He said he would stab me with one of the long swords that we’re to small to handle."

The braided boy was visibly upset," You have to tell someone, Res. My Nana said no one should
touch you like that because you're an elfling and a son of a great Lord…well, you‘re not the son of a great Lord
but I think it applies to you too."

The smaller elfling looked frantic," Glorfindel, you promised not to tell. No one would believe
me anyway. Besides, its not like he hurt me…it was just gross."

Glorfindel nodded slowly and upheld his uneasy promise. The next week everything in his small
life changed.

Training was over and most all the other elflings had left but he had forgotten his bag and he
had homework from his other tutors. His Nana drove him back to the enclosed sparring ground that Master M. used to train sons
of Lords as he ran in to get his bag noises from the back caught his attention. It sounded like scuffling and hiccups. He
tiptoed to the door, curious, and pushed it open slightly. He gasped.

Mr. K. was bent over Erestor's back grunting and Res was crying and struggling. The slight elfling
looked up and saw him there, peeking through the door. He stopped struggling, eyes solemn and held his finger to his mouth
for in a sign for silence. Glorfindel let the door go quickly and ran out the building leaving his things. Nana tried to ask
him what was wrong but he was too upset.}

Glorfindel sat up in bed and shuddered though the night was not cold. He had thought of Erestor
almost every other night for years now. He supposed he had blocked the whole torrid event from his mind as an elfling; it
had been such an ugly situation and he hadn't been able to handle it at such a young age, but now, the images were coming
back to him in vivid color. He moved to the edge of his huge bed and swung his feet to the floor. He thought about his dream,
memory really, since it had really happened.

The next week after he had stumbled upon Master Mephistopheles, he had tried to talk to Erestor
about what he had seen but his friend had refused to speak. Terrified for his friend he had told his parents and concerned
for his safety they had confronted Mephistopheles, who had denied everything. He was a happily married elf with a young daughter.
Hardly the type to molest a child. The elflings were just concocting wild stories, probably, the bad influence of that immigrant,
lower class elfling, Erestor. The community believed him and the issue was pushed aside as a lurid fantasy made up by an elfling
trying to rise above his station.

The last time Erestor had spoken to him had been to accuse him of ruining his life and by running his
mouth. Then he had moved away and Glorfindel had never seen him again.

Morning rose bright and beautiful over the busy city of Gondolin. A perfect day for strolling
the market place looking for fresh fruit and lovely trinkets as gifts to crushes. Glorfindel decided it was just what he needed
to take his mind off of his troubling dreams. He dressed and headed out the door into the sunshine to see what treasures he
could find.

As he walked his sharp ears picked up the hushed and hurried whispers of the upper crust elves
as they gossiped about what Lord had left the city and what Lord had came back to Gondolin with rare jewels and spices from
distant lands. He even heard low whispers of pleasure slaves and personal servants to be sold along side of the jewels and
spices. He shook his head…barbaric, such things. He wandered about peering here and there at whatnots and thinks when
a flash of black hair caught his eye. He turned, thinking maybe Ecthilion had been thinking as he had and had ventured down
to the market place but what he saw both thrilled and horrified him. Erestor.

Everything faded away in that moment, all the years, all the pain, all the people, the market
place…nothing existed but him and Erestor. He dropped the trinket he held in his hand, uncaring as the delicate glass
shattered into a million pieces on the edge of the merchants table. The merchants irate shouts never found their way into
his ears. He grabbed the slight elf that had turned toward him as the seller had started shouting about his wares. He picked
the raven haired elf up and twirled him around in circles joyously, elated to have found his friend once again. In his excitement,
he did not notice the tiny fists beating at his arms as Erestor struggled to be put down before someone saw them. With one
last spin, he set the tiny elf down, grinning foolishly at him. His sharp blue eyes raked the slight form, taking in the transparent
green cloth and silver collar that graced Erestor’s slender neck. His grin slowly faded away. Why was Erestor clothed
in such a manner and why was he wearing a fancy collar, like a pet…or a pleasure slave.

His grip on Erestor’s arms tightened, "Please, please, Erestor talk to me…say something.
Tell me where you've been all these years. How come I have not seen you around? Why are you dressed in this manner? " Glorfindel
pleaded not caring that they were attracting attention and elves were starting to whisper.

Curiously empty eyes stared back at him with no spark of recognition. Glorfindel tugged Erestor
closer to him and reached up to touch long black strands gently, a gesture from their childhood. Erestor never blinked just
stood there in his arms and suffered his touch without complaint or struggle.

" Lord Glorfindel, whatever are you doing with my little pet? Surely, you know it is rude to
play with another elf's toys without permission?"

A well-dressed ginger haired elf walked toward them, obviously a Lord, but not so high as the
House of the Golden Flower. He leisurely looked Glorfindel up and down, a smirk forming upon his lips for a moment. He smiled,
" Little Glorfindel, my, how you have grown since I last seen you. I see you are trying to get reacquainted with your old
friend here." He smirked purposely this time, "I'm not averse to sharing my toys. Ask any of my friends. Heck, ask your Ada.
We have shared many a servant wench or boy between us."

Glorfindel's mouth tightened. He knew his Ada engaged in questionable activities because he knew
his station place him above the law in Gondolin. He had escorted many an elfling many years short of their majority back to
the house of their parents limping, crying and clutching a bag full of gold coins. At such times, he felt like killing something
for the unfairness of the world and his apologies fell on deaf ears and tearful Nanas’ took their traumatized elflings
into their arms, eyes like daggers in his soul. He looked back at his old friend, hoping that such a cruel fate had not befallen
him. Erestor's face was lowered, but he could see the shiny glint of tears and shame. By the Valar, it was true then!

The Lord laughed," Come, whore, we must be going." He turned to leave, Erestor silently trailing
behind him. Glorfindel stood there frozen with shock, disgust and boiling anger at himself, the unknown Lord and the world.}

Glorfindel rushed from the market place back to his ancestral home in which he still kept his
most important possessions and his monies. He tore through his room, grabbing jewels and gifts of great worth but little sentimental
value, his father, mother and various admirers, male and female, had gifted him with. As he exited his old room and safe haven,
hand clutching a small bag loaded with a small fortune in coins and jewels, his Nana caught sight of him.

"Pen-nenth, where are you going in such a hurry and what are you doing with those money?"

Glorfindel was reluctant to halt, but he held a great love for his Nana, who had protected him
from his father’s wrath at times and had encouraged his friendship with Erestor, knowing he was lonely as an only child.
"I am going to buy back Erestor from a Lord I happened upon in the market place. He is finally, within my reach again and
I intend to have him, Nana!"

He was surprised and put out when his Nana’s eyes widened and she grabbed a hold of his
sleeve fiercely, "No, Glorfindel, you can not. Leave him where he is. Nothing but trouble could result from this. He is not
the elf for you. Fate has spoken and he should not try to reverse time. You can never go back there and you should not try
to."

With a ferocious frown upon his fair features and determination glinting in his eyes, Glorfindel
jerked free of his Nana, "I love him, Nana, and I intend to have him. How could love be wrong. It will set him free from the
bondage he is trapped in because of me and you."

The Lady of the Golden Flower cried out to her son as he briskly strode out the door, anger in
his footsteps, "No, Glorfindel!! You don’t understand!" But it was too late, he was gone. She stood there for a moment
before sanity returned to her and she spun around frantic, and ran up the stairs to her husband’s study. Even though
her husband had warned her years ago not to disturb him when he was in his private rooms, she burst into the dimly lit room.
Surprising her bonded and his latest conquest, wasting no time with useless railing in anger at a random servant wench, she
crossed the room quickly and yanked at her husband’s arms, "Please, my Lord! Come quickly, it is Glorfindel! You must
stop him!! He is trying to buy that child you sent away so many years ago that you had by that black eyed servant girl! He
claims to love him…you must stop him! You can not let him lay with his own brother…let him become a monster as
you are-" her screeching was cut abruptly short by a backhand to the mouth, courtesy of the Lord of the House of the Golden
Flower.

Her husband stood, pulling up his tracas and ordering the both of them from his study, the wench
and her. She made him promise before she left crying that he would fix this disaster of his own making and cursed herself
for letting her son ever come into contact with his illegitimate, half brother. The little bastard had been a curse on their
house and she had been too soft hearted to see it.

Glorfindel jumped into his carriage and told his elf to take him to Lord Perialian’s manor,
post haste. A small voice inside his head urged him to go faster, that time was running out. As the monstrosity the older
elf called a home came into view,Glorfindel's heart beat faster. Today, Erestor was coming home with him, where he belonged.

Glorfindel jumped out of the carriage, rushed up the stone steps and banged the knocker. A rather
satisfied Perialian came to the door.

"Ah, little Flower, how nice to see you here. And what a surprise, but a nice one. Do come in."
He motioned the blond Lord to come in. Glorfindel steeped agitatedly into the large foyer.

"I've come to see Erestor," he stated as soon as the door was shut. Perialian laughed, " I figured
as much. You are a tad late though. I’ve just finished playing with my pet. I suspect he doesn't feel up to company
right at the moment."

"Glorfindel raised his chin, " I'm not here to fuck him. I want to set him free."

Perialian gave him a measuring look and waved him to a chair, "Such language, young Flower, and
why ever would you want to buy someone else's used goods when you could buy yourself a fresh toy?"

Glorfindel glared, " I'm not looking for a whore or planning to make one. I just want Erestor
back where he belongs with me."

"You love him then. Yes, of course. When your father called me, he said it was to stop you from doing
something that could ruin the family name. Out of curiosity, how much is your "love" worth to you?"

Glorfindel tossed the bag on the table and Perialian emptied it, surveying its contents.

"He meant quite a lot to you, I see. Come, I will take you to him."

They walked in silence to a back room. The door swung open and time stopped once more for Glorfindel.

There on the floor lay his love, black hair a tragic fan in an ever widening pool of blood. Glorfindel
walked silently over and picked up the gleaming blade that still lay at Erestor's side. He let the still warm hilt fall from
his hand without a word and left the house, Lord Perialian’s mocking laughter following him out.

His Nana waited for him in their foyer, arms outstretched to comfort him and he cried out his despair,
his anguish in her loving arms, never questioning just how she knew he would need comfort on his return. Sometimes…a
Nana just knows.